Construction for mail boxes



Jan. 19, 1932- j FETYK CONSTRUCTION FOR MAIL BOXES Filed Jan. 9, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 V w 7 w INVENTOR J05P/1 FETY/C w 1 $2M ATTORNEY Jan. 19, 1

J. FETYK CONSTRUCTION FOR MAIL BOXES Filed Jan. 9, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR faSEP/f FETYK Patented Jan. 19, 1932 a UNITED STATES zrosnrn :nnmxx, :or New YORK, n. Y., .nssrenon To Farmers KE-In & 1 son,

V roim'rron or NEW YORK T H CE INC., A GOR- CONSTRUCTION ron .MAIL BOXES Application filed. January 9,1926. Serial No. 80,161.

One of the'objects of the invention is to provide a-construction of the above nature Which is practical'andeificient, capable of eneetingthe requirements of use in a highly satisfactory manner; Another object is to provide a construction of'the above nature which is particularly suited ;to the convenience of themail carrier. Another object is to provide a mail box construction in V which aplurality of individual private compartments'formail are accessible to the mail carrier through-a commondoor and-wherein this door'is capable of being locked depend- 1 otherwise rendered "inoperative.

l interior;

In the accompanying drawings, in which isishown one ofthevarious possible embodimentsof this invention, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a mail box construction embodying a plurality of private compartments, certain ofthe compartmentsbeingshown only in part and one thereof being broken away to disclose the Figure 2 is a section taken substantially :along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

..Figure3 is a section taken substantially ialong the line fie-T3 of Fig. 1

Figure is a: section in larger detail'taken substantially-alongthe line 4-4: of Fig. 11

. Figure 51shows: a front elevation of: a lock mechanism;

Figure 6 is a section taken substantially .along the line 66 of Fig. 5, and

Figure 7 is a section taken substantially along the line 77 of Fig. 5.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. v

Referring nowfto Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings in detail, there are illustrated, as

best shown in Figure 2, five individual mail compartments 10,11, 12, 13 and 14, the compartments ,11 and 13 being shown only in part. Although the compartments are in this instance shown as five in number, it will be understood .that any desired number thereof maybe arranged together and assembled as will be described later. These inail compartments are of substantial depth and height, being preferably of such size as to be able toaccommodate, for example,newspreferably of a heavier construction thanihe side and rear walls of the compartments, the

sides and' rear of each compartment being conveniently formed of asingle piece of'light sheet metalas is broughtloutin FigureQ.

.Each ofthc mail compartments is :provided in its front wall atthe lower .portionthereof with a door 16. Each ofithese doors is provided with an individual lock 17 and is for the use ofithe ownerof the mailcompartment in removing mail therefrom.

In. addition to the lower doors :16, each of the mail compartments is provided with an upper door 18., these upper doors-.beingadapted" for the vase of the .postmanior mail carrier 'in inserting the mail in the compartments, These doors 18 are secured together as 'Wlll presently be described toopenand closezas a unit. l lreferably theyare mounted to swing outwardly about their bottom edges-asshown in Figure 3, anda single .lock l9 positioned upon a central door 18 serves :to lock-all ,of the connected doors in closed position. A

suitable name-plate 20 is provided on the front wall of each of the individual mail compartments. In addition, and as shown in Figure 1, thereis preferablyprovided Within each compartment a suitable holder 21 which contains a card listing the names of additional parties who are to receive the mail in that compartment.

Thus the mail carrier by unlocking the single lock 19 is enabled to swing all of the doors 18 to open position as a unit and immediately has access to all of the series of mail compartments. This is a great convenience for the mail carrier and results in a substantial saving of time. The mail carrieralone is furnished a key to the lock 19 whereas the keys fitting the locks 17 of the lower doors 16 arev held by the owners or occupants of the apartment or portion of the building served by the particular mail compartment. The doors 16 are preferably provided with perforations 22 and the doors 18 are preferably provided with perforations 23 to permit a view of the interior of the compartments without unlocking and opening the door. Narrow slots 24 may be provided in the doors 18 for the insertion of calling cards, telegrams or the like.

The separate compartments are preferably positioned together so that the front walls 15 of adjacent compartments abut along their side edges and so that thus the front walls as a unit present a substantially solid appearance. Each of the front walls 15 are provided adjacent their side edges with rearwardly projecting lugs 25 as shown in Figures 3 and 4E. The compartments are secured together by bolts 26 passing through these registering lugs. Any desired number of the compart ments may be arranged side by side and rigidly secured together in this manner.

Each of the doors 18 is provided on either side thereof with a projecting arm or lug 27. As best shown in Figure 2, the doors 18 are secured together to swing as a unit by means of bolts 28 passing through these projecting lugs 27.

The doors 16 and 18 when closed preferably rest substantially flush with the outer surface of the front walls 15. The projecting and connecting lugs 27 of the doors 18 are accommodated in recesses formed in the walls 15 and extending into rearwardly projecting fins 29 as shown in Figures 2 and4.

As has been mentioned above, the doors 18 joined together to swing open as a unit, are provided with a single lock 19 which is positioned upon a central door whereby the mail carrier is enabled to gain access to all of the mail compartments by unlocking a single lock. Also, as has been mentioned, these doors 18 preferably seat into and rest flush with the front walls 15. In order to assist the lock 19 in holding the doors 18 in closed position additional holding means are preferably provided on one or more of the doors 18 on either side of the central door carrying the lock 19. In Figure 4 there is shown a vertical section through the center of the door 18 at the extreme right of Figure 1. Refer- .door in closed position.

ring to Figure 4, this door is provided on its inner side and adjacent its top edge with a rearward projection 30 in which is carried a suitable pin 31 urged upwardly by a spring 32. This pin is provided with a rounded upper end which takes into a rounded recess 33 formed in a rearward projection 34 on the wall 15. The upper end of the pin 31 registers with the recess 33 when the door 18 is closed and thus serves yieldingly to hold the Similar spring pressed pins are preferably provided on each of the doors-18 except the one carrying the lock 19 or, at least, one of thespring pressed pins is provided for each of the end doors.

These spring pressed pins 31 and their coacting recesses in the front walls 15 of the mail compartments assist the lock 19 in holding the series of connected doors in closed position and they prevent the doors from warping outwardly out of alinement when closed. The proper fitting of the doors into their respective openings and the proper registry of the outer surfaces of the doors with the outer surface of the walls 15 are thus assured. Moreover, these spring pressed pins, yieldingly holding the doors in proper closed position, prevent the possibility of anyone prying the doors open since, by holding the doors flush with the front walls, they preclude the possibility of inserting a screw driver or the like around the edge of the doors.

Considering now more particularly the lock 19 positioned, as hereinbefore noted, preferably upon a central door 18 and arranged to lock all of the connected doors 18 in closed position, reference may be had more particularly to Figures 3, 5, 6 and 7. The lock mechanism 19 may be of any suitable construction and preferably includes a casing generally indicated at 35 held in place at the upper end of the inner face of the central door 18 by means of a suitable number of screws 36, conveniently and preferably four in number, threaded into the door from the inner face thereof. The lock casing 35 is of course positioned so that its spring-pressed latch 37 may, when the door 18 is closed, 1

spring upwardly and in back of the rigid upper front wall portion of the compartment. The latch 37 may be operated from the exterior by means of an appropriate key operative through any suitable or appropriate tumbler or other suitable mechanism; the door 18 is therefore provided with an appropriate opening 38, preferably circular through which the key-receiving portion of the lock mechanism may project outwardly. This key-receiving portion of the lock is generally 1 indicated at 39 and is provided with an appropriate keyhole indicated at 40.

Each of the screws 36. is threaded into recesses in the door 18, these recesses preferably passing completely through the metal of 36 (see also Fig. fectively conceal s the exposed recessed ends '42, conveniently formed by drilling into the free end ofthescrewand along the ends thereof. This recess 42-may beof any convenient .depth,and is clearly shownin Figure 7.

Upon the exterior ofathe central door18 to which the lock 19 is thus secured there is vmounted:alconcealing ,plate 43 provided with an appropriate aperture to receive the keyrece1v1ngpont1on39 of the lock 19, thisiplate 43be1ngof a suliiclent expanse In an upward as well .asdateral direction to overlap to an appropriate extent the lock-securing screws The plate 43 thus efof the screws 36 and is securely held to the door 18iby an appropriate number of rivets 44, conveniently four in number.

By means of thelock mounting just above described, the mail carrier may, when the lock 19 is in normal or operative and untampered condition gain access to the several mail compartments, all as hereinabove described. But in practice it has been found that the mail carrier oftentimes finds the lock 19 in a condition such that his master key fails to gain him access to the individual compartments. While this circumstance may arise because of a defect occurring in the lock mechanism, yet this circumstance has been in practice found to arise more frequently by reason of the master lock, and particularly the key hole 40 thereof, having been tampered with, plugged up or otherwise made inoperable by the master key.

Where such a circumstance arises, the complete locking mechanism 19 has to be removed for repairv and promptly replaced by a new or operative locking mechanism; the defect may, by virtue of this invention, be

readily and speedily remedied, and without.

substantial delay in the ultimate distribution of the mail, and without destructive action upon the mail box or compartment itself. The concealing plate 43 is first removed and this, it may be pointed out, maybe effected speedily and in a simple manner. More particularly, the heads of the rivets 44, illustratively four in number, are knocked oil as by means of a chisel and hammer, the removal of the concealing plate thus exposing the recessed ends of the screws 36. The operative delegated to remedy the defect thereupon inserts intothe recessed ends of the screws 36, thus exposed on the outer side of the door 18, any suitable small instrument, such, for example, as the small end of a file; by applying a slight pressure to the implement and at the same time giving it a rotary movement, the screws 36 may be unthreaded, and the complete locking mechanism 19, thus unfastened, allowed to drop into the compartment. The doors-18 may thereupon be plate 43 is then mounted in position again,

opened, the defective Flock removed, and promptly replaced .by a new or operative locking mechanism, the same screws 86being used to secure it in place. The concealing new rivets, which are headed over upon the inside face of the door 18, being employed. The mail receiving boxes are thus restored for operation by the mail carrier through his master key, it being pointed out that the over he noted that the many advantages attendant upon the use of a series ofindividual otherwise necessary procedure, with result-' mail compartments all accessible to the mail carrier by way of a single master key may be effectively realized 1n practice whlle such serious disadvantages as may arise out of the necessity of destroying or permanently marring a mail recelvmg compartment due to the necessity of removing an inoperative lock, are effectively avoided.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limit, ing sense.

Iclaim as my invention:

11. lnconstruction for mail boxes, in combination, a compartment for mail, a door therefor adapted to be opened by the post- .man for insertion of mail, a lock mechanism posltioned on the mner side of sand door and operable by a key from the outer sidethereof for re lcasingsaid lock, and screws threaded into said door from the inner sidethereof and holding said locking mechanism in place upon the inner side of said door, said screws having means accessible from the outer side of said door to permit unthreading thereof and dismounting of said locking mechanism for opening said door in case said lock is found not operable by said key.

.2. In construction for mail boxes, in combination, a compartment for mail, a door therefor adapted to be opened by the postman for insertion of mail, a lock mechanism positioned on the inner side of said door and operable by a key fromthe outer sidethereof for releasing said lock,screws threaded into said .door ifrom the inner side thereof and holding said locking mechanism in place upon the inner slde of said door, said screws having means accessible from the outer side of said door to permit unthreading thereof and dismounting of said locking mechanism for opening said door in case said lock is found not operable by said key, and removable means normally concealing said last means.

3. In construction for mail boxes, in combination, a compartment for mail, a door therefor adapted to be opened by the postman for insertion of mail, a lock mechanism positioned on the inner side of said door and operable by a key from the outer side thereof for releasing said lock, screws threaded into said door from the inner side thereof and holding said locking mechanism in place upon the inner side of said door, said screws having means accessible from the outer side of said door to permit unthreading thereof and dismounting of said locking mechanism for opening said door in case said lock is found not operable by said ke and a plate member concealing said last means and secured in place so as to be capable of removal by the blow of a hammer or the like.

4. In construction for mail boxes, in combination, a compartment for mail, a door therefor adapted to be opened by the postman for insertion of mail, a lock mechanism positioned on the inner side of said door and operable by a key from the outer side thereof, and screws threaded into said door from the inner side thereof and holding said locking mechanism in place upon the inner side of said door, said screws projecting through to the outer side of said door and having their .outer ends recessed for the insertion of an implement to unthread said screws from the outer side of said door thereby dismounting said locking mechanism and permitting opening of said door by the postman in case said lock is found not operable by said key.

5. In construction for mail boxes, in combination, a compartment for mail, a door therefor adapted to be opened by the postman for insertion of mail, a lock mechanism positioned on the inner side of said door and operable by a key from the outer side thereof, screws threaded into said door from the inner side thereof and holding said locking mechanism in place upon the inner side of said door, said screws projectingthrough to the outer side of said door and having their outer ends recessed for the insertion of an implement to unthread said screws from the outer side of said door thereby dismounting said locking mechanism and permitting opening of said door by the postman in case said lock is found not operable by said key, and removable means normally concealing the outer ends of said screws.

. 6. In construction for mail boxes, in com bination, a compartment for mail, a door therefor adapted to be opened by the postman for insertion of mail, a lock mechanism positioned on the inner side of said door and operable by a key from the outer side thereof, to permit said door to be opened, means securing said lock mechanism in place upon the inner side of said door, said securing means being releasable and extending to the outer side of said door, a plate member of less expanse than said door but of sufficient expanse to cover said securing means on the outer sideof said door, and means mounting said plate member in covering position and capable of removal as by the blow of a hammer or the like.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 23rd day of December, 1925.

JOSEPH FETYK. 

